1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to text-entry devices. More specifically, the present invention relates to dynamic physical keypads.
2. Background of the Invention
Texting and messaging have become increasingly popular among wireless users. Texting gives users a quick and easy way to send a note to someone else without necessarily interrupting. Cellular providers have created a category of Quick Messaging Devices that are consumer based, messaging centric phones that utilize a virtual or physical full QWERTY keyboard to make typing easier. Within the span of less than a year, this segment has grown at a double digit rate.
The current text input methods on mobile devices are quite cumbersome. The hard keyboards on mobile devices require a careful positioning of the finger on the character to prevent mistyping. This is particularly problematic for the elderly and visually handicapped users. These and many other users have the problem of striking multiple keys at once, often due to the relatively small size of the individual keys.
Physical keys generally require a certain amount of force to depress the key to make a physical contact to register a key press. While the manufacturer can increase or reduce the amount of force needed to press a key, it is set and does not change. Many mobile devices offer modes of predictive text to help customers enter the words that they intend to type. However most of these are based on correcting a word after it has been mistyped or allowing the customer to choose from a likely list of possibilities as they are typing. Both methods address the problem during or after the process of mistyping a word.
What is needed is a way of avoiding mistyping before it ever occurs in order to prevent errors and give a user a better experience. Such a device or method should also be able to be used with current predictive text models.